We also need to address concerns with the general welfare of our employees and be good corporate citizens of our community. We do this and still maintain a good margin, manage sustainable growth, and have reduced overall debt. I think that too many businesses in the United States have ditched professional ethics for the sake of bigger margins when actually, the opposite is true. If the leadership of a business enterprize projects Christian values and “walks the walk”, many problems that American industry fall prey to will be eliminated. Look at what happened to Enron. Lie after lie, and it doesn’t take a nuclear physicist to predict where that company will ultimately find itself.

American industries, I think, will find ourselves in increasingly intrepid waters in the future. Foreign competition, new tax and environmental legislation, increasing legal liabilities, these are certain. Success is not guaranteed. However, we can guarantee that our collective vision will not fail because of lapses in ethical judgement. We can guarantee to our customer base that we will do what we say and say what we do. Because afterall, isn’t business simply meeting expectations? Well, I like to think I can do a little better than that.

When we step outside of that role we are all to often on our own. We might prosper for a season, but it is not with God’s blessing.

It would be helpful for each of us to have a clearer vision of what part of Kingdom building God is calling us to individually, as well as corporately. This should help clarify our calling and how we can best use our gifts to bring us joy, fruitfulness and success.

I guess another key is that it has to be a vision that God placed in you, not the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, or the pride of life that placed it in you.